MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 SPORTS Fiorentina into Europa League

MILAN: Europa League semi-finalists their city rivals into second place ahead of Fiorentina secured their place in next sea- next week’s final round of games. son’s competition with a stunning 3-2 win A second place finish secures automatic at Palermo, as Verona striker Luca Toni entry to the Champions League, while the moved top of the scoring charts team that finishes third goes into a play-off yesterday. Fiorentina, outclassed by Sevilla round. in Europe’s second tier competition last Roma were held 2-2 by Lazio earlier this week, got off the mark in Sicily thanks to season, but coach Rudi Garcia said a third former Palermo forward Josip Ilicic’s 23rd place finish is not in his plans. “We want to minute screamer from 25 metres. make sure that tomorrow’s game is the Mato Jajalo levelled for the hosts with a only one that matters for us in this cam- great volley only three minutes later but paign,” Garcia said in his pre-match confer- Fiorentina were back in front just after the ence Sunday. half hour when was on “It’s up to us tomorrow to show that we hand to turn a Mati Fernandez shot past are the stronger of the sides.” Although Stefano Sorrentino. Napoli, in fourth at three points behind Vincenzo Montella’s visitors were Lazio, remain in Champions League con- stunned on 69 minutes when Luca Rigoni tention, the Biancocelesti require only a levelled for the hosts, but Marcos Alonso draw on Monday to make sure of at least a restored their lead 12 minutes from time to third place finish. ruin what was Palermo striker Paulo It has left Rafael Benitez’s men, beaten Dybala’s last home game before his immi- 3-1 by a second-string Juventus on nent move to Juventus. Saturday, heading towards the Europa The result moved Fiorentina up one League alongside Fiorentina and a third place to fifth, two points ahead of sixth- side that is increasingly looking like placed Genoa. Genoa hold the third and Sampdoria. final Europa League spot but have been A last-gasp leveller from Samuel Eto’o excluded from European competition kept Sampdoria’s Europa hopes alive but because their Luigi Ferraris stadium does Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men will be relying on not meet UEFA standards. Fiorentina’s six- results elsewhere. point lead over Sampdoria, in seventh, Sampdoria share Genoa’s Luigi Ferraris means their spot in next season’s Europa stadium but have already lodged Sassuolo’s League is secure. Mapei stadium as the venue for European LEICESTER: Leicester City’s Jeffrey Schlupp (left) and Queens Park Rangers’ Nedum Onuoha battle for the ball during the English Premier Elsewhere, a brace of goals, including home games in the event they qualify for League soccer match. —AP one from the spot, from Toni in a 2-2 draw Europe. away to Parma saw the evergreen Verona Mihajlovic, however, was less than hap- striker leapfrog to lead the py with a scenario which means his side Serie A scoring charts. must beat Parma in their final game of the Vardy stars as partying With one game remaining this season, season and hope results elsewhere go their Toni now leads Juventus striker Tevez and way. Inter ’s Mauro Icardi, who both have “We’ve claimed a point, now we need to 20 goals, by one. win our last game and see what happens Leicester trounce QPR With Juventus securing the double elsewhere,” Mihajlovic told . thank to Wednesday’s Cup final win over “Genoa are ahead of us and I take my Ramsey to cheer about in his first game since beat Kasper Schmeichel, only to flash the wrong Lazio, the battle for European places con- hat off to them... but it would only be a being made permanent QPR manager. side of the post. tinues apace. small consolation for us if we got into the Leicester 5 Nigel Pearson’s Leicester finished the cam- But Leicester made it 2-0 two minutes before Lazio host Roma on Monday looking for Europa League because of their misfor- paign with a run of seven wins, one draw and half-time as Albrighton was afforded space to the win that would allow them to leapfrog tune.”—AFP one defeat, giving them a 14th-place finish and advance before crashing a shot high into the taking them above the 40-point barrier in the net. Italian League result/standings QPR 1 top flight for the first time since 2001. Leicester were forced into a change at the Leicester were unchanged from the team that interval, with Ritchie De Laet replacing Marcin Empoli 1 (Pucciarelli 57) Sampdoria 1 (Eto’o 90+1); Cesena 0 Cagliari 1 (Sau 90+1); Chievo 1 (Pellissier 88) had secured survival last weekend with a 0-0 Wasilewski, but within seven minutes of the sec- Atalanta 1 (Gomez 48); Palermo 2 (Jajalo 26, Rigoni 69) Fiorentina 3 (Iicic 23, Gilardino 33, Alonso 78); draw at Sunderland and they were quickly into ond period, they had doubled their advantage. Parma 2 (Nocerino 21, Varela 36) Verona 2 (Toni 42, 80-pen); Udinese 0 Sassuolo 1 (Magnanelli 70). LEICESTER: Leicester City celebrated their stun- their stride, Ulloa curling wide and Jeffrey First, Ulloa used his chest to divert a shot ning escape from relegation Schlupp hitting the side-netting. from Wes Morgan into the bottom corner, before Playing later with a breezy 5-1 demolition of relegated The hosts made the breakthrough in the 16th former Argentina international Cambiasso fired AC Milan v Torino Queens Park Rangers on the season’s final day. minute following an error by QPR goalkeeper home from 12 yards. Jamie Vardy marked his first England call-up Alex McCarthy, who was deputising for the con- Austin claimed a consolation by heading in a Italian Serie A table after yesterday’s early game (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): with the opener and further strikes from Marc cussed Robert Green. cross from in the 57th minute to Albrighton, Leonardo Ulloa, Esteban Cambiasso The 25-year-old spilled a tame effort from register his 18th goal of the campaign, but by Juventus 37 26 8 3 70 22 86 Udinese 37 10 11 16 40 52 41 and Andrej Kramaric left the home fans inside Riyad Mahrez and 28-year-old Vardy followed up then QPR were already destined to finish the —champions Atalanta 37 7 16 14 37 54 37 the King Power Stadium in heady mood. to tap in his fifth goal of the campaign. season at the bottom of the pile. And there was Roma 36 18 13 5 51 28 67 Cagliari 37 7 10 20 44 65 31 Charlie Austin, another new face in England McCarthy partially atoned by saving well yet more misery to come as Kramaric bludg- Lazio 36 20 6 10 66 34 66 — relegated coach Roy Hodgson’s latest squad, replied for from Vardy and Matt Phillips then came within eoned home following a punt from Schmeichel Napoli 37 18 9 10 68 50 63 Cesena 37 4 12 21 36 68 24 the visitors, but there was nothing else for Chris inches of equalising with a 20-yard shot that that QPR failed to deal with. —AFP Fiorentina 37 17 10 10 58 46 61 — relegated Genoa 37 16 11 10 61 44 59 Parma 376 724317318 Sampdoria 37 13 16 8 46 40 55 — relegated 37 13 13 11 55 45 52 Note: Parma deducted three points and four Torino 36 13 12 11 43 42 51 Burnley bow out heads held high AC Milan 36 11 13 12 50 49 46 points for financial irregularities and non-payment Palermo 37 11 13 13 51 54 46 of salaries. Sassuolo 37 11 13 13 46 56 46 Top two qualify automatically for the Champions League, third goes into the play-offs. Fourth, fifth Verona 37 11 12 14 47 63 45 Aston Villa 0 Chievo 37 10 13 14 28 38 43 and sixth carry Europa League places. The bottom Empoli 37 8 18 11 44 47 42 three sides are relegated.

Burnley 1

BIRMINGHAM: Leading scorer Danny Ings brought what is likely to be the final curtain down on his career with Burnley yesterday in the best way possible by scoring the only goal for the relegated side in a farewell 1-0 win over FA Cup finalists Aston Villa. Ings, widely believed to be due for a move to a club remaining in the Premier League club in the close season, struck early in the first-half with his 11th of the campaign to give Burnley only their seventh win of the season, all by one goal margins. For Villa it was a second disappointing result ahead of their daunting FA Cup final meeting with holders Arsenal after being thrashed 6-1 by Southampton last weekend. BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke in action during the English Premier League Ings opened the scoring in the sixth minute soccer match against Burnley at Villa Park. —AP as Villa failed to clear the ball on several occa- sions. five minutes before the break, a rising shot infuriatingly inconsistent Charles N’Zogbia : Palermo’s Luca Rigoni (center) celebrates with his teammates after scoring They were put out of their misery as Ings going just over the bar and then his second unable to get the better of the admirable during a Serie A soccer match between Palermo and Fiorentina yesterday. —AP rose above Nathan Baker to head Ashley effort being saved by Tom Heaton. Heaton, whose form earned him a call-up to Barnes’s headed pass past Jed Steer-who has An entertaining game carried on in high the England set-up last week. Dutch interna- enjoyed a rollercoaster season having been spirited fashion in the second-half with both tional central defender Ron Vlaar, whom man- loaned out to lower league Yeovil. Villa pressed sides having chances. It was Villa, though, who ager Tim Sherwood wants to sign a new con- Roma want Lazio win for an equaliser throughout the rest of the half, were the most persistent with former Leeds tract, also sent a header flashing over the bar MILAN: Coach Rudi Garcia has called on bay ahead of next week’s final round of Christian Benteke having an effort saved and United star Fabian Delph, who has boosted the but there was to be no spoiling Burnley’s Roma to beat derby rivals Lazio on Monday games, both Roma and Lazio will be keen Ashley Westwood going close twice in the final club by agreeing a long-term deal, and the farewell party. —AFP and secure Serie A’s second automatic to avoid finishing third to avoid a potential- Champions League spot with a game to ly costly play-off. spare. Napoli finished third in Serie A last year Roma’s title push fizzled out last month but their bid to join the Champions League Keeping home-grown stars the key for Lyon following a remarkable run of draws and group stages came undone after a 4-2 now Garcia’s men sit just one point ahead aggregate defeat to Athletic Bilbao. PARIS: After several years of decline, the future “I’ve got a few ideas and a different method- likely to be in the third pot of seeds. “We are of Stefano Pioli’s impressive Lazio side It set a pessimistic tone for the rest of looks bright for Lyon with an exciting young ology, and my arrival should allow a new impe- going to draw some really big teams. But that ahead of Monday’s derby at the Stadio Napoli’s season and now coach Rafael team, a return to the Champions League and tus at the club - and change a few old habits,” he doesn’t scare me,” captain Gonalons told sports Olimpico. Lazio have been the most suc- Benitez and top striker Gonzalo Higuain are the prospect of a move into a new stadium next said after being unveiled, but Lyon lost three of daily L’Equipe last week. cessful team in Italy’s top flight this second reported to be on their way out of the club season. their first four matches. With playmaker “All season, watching the Champions League half of the season after champions as they face another season out of Europe’s However, whether the seven-time French Clement Grenier struggling with his fitness and on television and hearing the music, I have Juventus, but Garcia-who could welcome premier club competition. champions can maintain their revival will the injury-prone Yoann Gourcuff still unable to thought about getting back into it and reliving Brazilian defender Maicon back to the fold- Understandably, Lazio coach Stefano depend on their ability to keep hold of their put a run of games together, Fournier’s squad it all. We have been away from it for too long.” remains defiant. Pioli hinted his side won’t be settling for a biggest assets, notably Ligue 1 player of the looked ill-equipped to compete. The prize money that comes with playing in “Nearly everyone is saying Lazio are share of the spoils today. “It’s a crucial game year Alexandre Lacazette and young player of However, they somehow emerged as title the Champions League will help the finances of favorites to win the game, that they’re the for us,” he told reporters. “We’ve done the year Nabil Fekir. challengers, thanks largely to a run of 10 con- a club who recorded another big loss last sea- better team, that they play the best football everything we can to get to this stage.... Hubert Fournier’s side pushed overwhelming secutive home wins and the form of Lacazette son of more than 26 million euros ($29.8m, in Italy, but we’ll set out to win it all the and we’ll be 100 percent focused on giving favourites Paris Saint-Germain almost all the and Fekir. £18.9m). same,” the Frenchman told media yester- everything in this game. way in the race for the title, only seeing their Lacazette scored 27 league goals, a club That will give them a chance of keeping hold day. “People saying Lazio have already won “The lads are all in fine condition, moti- dream of a first Ligue 1 crown since 2008 ended record in a league campaign, while Fekir had of their best players, despite interest from else- it just motivates us even more. We want to vated and feeling refreshed after last with a game to spare. Nevertheless, second scored 13 and set up nine more before the final where. “We need to keep the majority of the make sure tomorrow is the last game that week’s Cup final. Thankfully, we play tomor- place was their best performance since 2010 game of the season at Rennes, breaking into the players. But we will need to improve the con- really matters for us this season.” row (Monday) and we welcome the extra and better than most fans would have hoped France squad as a result. With other home- tracts of two or three of them,” former Lyon Lazio host the Giallorossi five days after day’s rest.” for last summer, when the highly-respected reared stars like goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, striker Bernard Lacombe, now an advisor to spurning their only chance of a trophy this A Lazio win would see Pioli’s men take a Remi Garde departed following the club’s worst Samuel Umtiti, captain Maxime Gonalons, president Jean-Michel Aulas, told L’Equipe. He season, losing the Italian Cup final 2-1 to two-point lead over Roma to set up a dra- finish-fifth-in 16 years. Jordan Ferri and Corentin Tolisso, Lyon were a was certainly referring to Lacazette and Fekir, Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico last matic finale to the season. On the final day, His replacement Fournier had done an excel- joy to watch at times and can now prepare for who has yet to agree terms on a new deal since Wednesday. next Sunday, Roma host Palermo while lent job in leading Reims back into the top flight Champions League football next season. emerging as a genuine star turn this season, While a draw would give Lazio the point Lazio have the arguably tougher task away and keeping them there, but few expected him They will go straight into the group stage for although his agent Jean-Pierre Bernes has pub- required to keep fourth-placed Napoli at to Napoli.—AFP to lead Lyon into the Champions League. the first time since 2011-12, although they are licly encouraged him to stay put.—AFP